Hours before he was scheduled to take the mound in Saturday’s contest against the Royals, Mariners’ right-hander Felix Hernandez was placed on the 10-day disabled list with biceps tendinitis. The move is retroactive to August 2, though the Mariners have not elaborated on the cause or severity of Hernandez’s injury. In a best-case scenario, he likely won’t take the mound again until August 13.

It’s the second such stint for Hernandez, who served 58 days on the disabled list earlier this season after getting diagnosed with bursitis in his right shoulder. The 31-year-old went 5-4 in 13 starts between injuries and turned in a 4.28 ERA, 2.6 BB/9 and 8.4 SO/9 over 73 2/3 innings. While his peripheral stats show an improvement over last season’s totals, his inability to stay healthy is both puzzling and concerning, especially for a club that’s still in the mix for a postseason berth this fall.

Minor league lefty Marco Gonzales was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday and is expected to start in Hernandez’s place against the Royals. The 25-year-old starter was acquired by the Mariners in exchange for Cardinals’ outfielder Tyler O’Neill in July, and has issued eight runs, five walks and nine strikeouts in 12 innings for Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate this year.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports Thursday that the Orioles “are said to have begun fielding calls of interest” on superstar Manny Machado and “are close to the point of seriously weighing whether to trade him.”

You’d think it would be a no-brainer for the last-place O’s to flip Machado — an impending free agent — for prospects, but Heyman notes there is “still a question whether or not longtime Orioles owner Peter Angelos” will give the go-ahead. One person familiar with the situation put it a “50-50” likelihood. Another suggested that it would take a massive return, which, sure.

Machado entered play Thursday with a sensational .328/.405/.635 batting line, 15 home runs, and an MLB-leading 43 RBI in 49 games. It’d be a real shock if he’s still wearing an O’s uniform by the end of July.

Heyman reported previously that at least nine teams made aggressive plays for Machado this winter, including the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Indians, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Cardinals. A whole lot of those teams still make sense here in late May — maybe all of them except the White Sox.